Apparatus for treating milk and cream or the like.



T. L. VALERIUS. APPARATUS FOR TREATING MILK AND CREAM OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION IILED NOV. 10, 1913.

Patented Feb. 24, 1911 'IIII il? 2 m ,l/ J/zeadoreZ. VzZZerz'z UNITEDSTATES A ENT orruon.

THEODORE L. VALERIUS, OF FORT ATKINSON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB TO GREAMERYPACKAGE MANUFACTURING (30., OF HICAGO, ILLINOIS. A CORPQRATION OFILLINOIS.

APPABL TUS FOB TBEA'IING MILK AND CREAM 03 THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914..

Application filed November 10, 1913. Serial No. 800,065.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE L. VA- LERIUS, a citizen of the UnitedStates,- residing at Fort Atkinson, in the county of Jefferson and Stateof -Wisc0nsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Treating Milk and Crea. or the like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of treating milk and cream or the likeand refers to that type of machine which comprises a vat having mountedtherein a hollow rotary structure adapted to conduct a tempering fluid,said structure acting to mix, agitate and temper the-liquid in the vat.Such a machine may be used for pasteurizing; for heating, cooling andmixing in the process of ripening cream; for emulsifying or mixingskimmed milk and butter oil; for mixing and treating ice cream custardpreparatory to freezing; and for other simila pur oses.

T 0 present invention contemplates an agitating and tempering deviceofnovel and im roved construction.

806 style of rotary tempering device heretofore employed in machines ofthe character mentioned consists of a single length of ipe spirallycoiled -at a relatively low pitci so that the individual coils will bespaced only a short distance apart and will orm, in effect, a hollowcylinder which is mounted in the vat to rotate on its axis. An exampleof such a structure is to be found in my prior Patent N 0. 933,934,issued September 14, 1909. In this form of device the tempering fluidpasses in a single path through the device, following the coil of pipein its convolutions.

The objects of the present invention are to produce an improvedtempering device having a plurality of independent paths through whichthe tempering fluid may flow; to effect a more even distribution orabsorption of heat by the tempering device throughout the body ofcreamin the vat; toprovide a tempering device in hich the total length ofpipe comprised in the device ciency; to so arrange the te nper'mg pipesas to effect a thorough agitation, mixmg'snd circulation of the cream;to. provide a. fur ther means in addition to the tempering pipesthemselves for agitating, circulating, r smoothing and emulsifying thecream; and,\ lastly, to provide a simple structure by which all of theabove named objects are accomplished.

Without intending to limit, the invention to the precise form hereindisclosed, the. de; scription will now proceed to the details ofconstruction of the preferred form of theinvention.

In the. accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machineembodying the features of my invention, one of the sides of the machinebeing broken away to. show the agitating and tempering device. Fig. 2 isa detail section through one of the distributing heads.

The machine comprises, as is usual, an elongated'vat 5, which may be ofan common or preferred construction, the ottom of the vat preferablybeing concave in ,form. The rotary agitating and tempering device isdisposed longitudinally within the vat.

This device comprises a pair of hollow shafts 6 which are mounted insuitable stuffing-box bearings 7 in the end walls of the vat, and arearranged to conduct tempering fluid to and away from the body portion ofthe tempering device. The outer ends of these central shafts areconnected up with suitable pipes 8 which are controlled by valves 9 sothat either steam or cold water or brine may be circulatedthrough thetemper-in device in a manner now Well known. Tie tempering device isrotated by a drive belt (not shown) running over a pulley 10 which isgeared by bevel gears 11 to the shaft 6 at the head end of the machine.A pair of hollow distributing heads 12 have their hubs 13 fixed on theinner ends of the central shafts 6, so that said heads communicate 95sides of the heads 12 are closed, and the heads are rigidly connected bya shaft 1 1 which is alined with the shafts 6.

A plurality of independent hollow pipes 15 (in the present instance sixin number) are attached to and communicate at tueir opposite ends withthe distributing heads 12. These pipes afford a plurality of separatepaths through which the ten poring fluid passes from end to end of themachine. B this means the effective space in the vat within which thetempering fluid acts is increased because the warming or cooling is notlocalized so much at the inlet end of the tempering device as is thecase in a single or continuous coil machine.

The individual pipes 15 are spirally twisted, but the amount of suchtwist, in

the preferred form of the invention, is less than a full turn, so thatwhile the pipes extend in a direction around the tempering device to acertain degree, the general disposition of said pipes is in a directionlongitudinal of the machine, as distinguished from the transversedisposition of the coils in my patent ahcve referred to. The spiraltwist of the pipes in the present machine is sullicient to insure thedesired longitudinal or end to end circulation of the cream in the vat,and at the same time, by reason of the spacing and longitudinaldisposition of the pipes, the latter act to thoroughly agitate and mixthe contents of the vat. The arrangement herein shown also minimizes theamount of pipe necessary for the efficient working of the machine.

When the machine is used for certain operations, as for example forripening cream, or fer mixing and treating ice cream custard preparatoryto freezing, it is desirable to provide means in addition to the pipesthemselves for mixing, smoothing and emulsifyliquid, in order to bringit to a more itch... consistency. To this end I have presided on one ormore of the spiral pipes an outwardly extending rib or vane 16 whichruns from end to end of the pipe and is disposed sidewisc with respectto the direction of its travel, so that the rib acts to smooth andemulsity cream to he ripened and to break up clots therein, well as toassist in causing longitudinal and transverse currents in the body ofthe cream. This outer rib 16 is arranged to travel close to the bottomof the vat, and in the operation of treating ice cream. mix, said ribacts to pickup sugar andany other heavy ingredients from the bottom ofthe vat and insure the proper miX- ture thereof through the custard.

A rib or vane 17 similar to the one. just described may also be providedat the inner side of one or more of the spiral pipes, and either or bothof said. ribs may have a suitable number of openings 18 therethrough soas to cause a further mixing andagitation of the liquid. These ribs arepreferably welded or otherwise rigidly aflixed at their inner edges tothe pipes. The ribs may be secured to one or more of the pipes and inany desired arrangement.

When the tempering device is rotated, the spiral pipes 15 and the ribsthereon will cause currents in the liquid to flow longitudinally fromend to end of the machine as well as transversely thereof and axiallyabout the tempering device. In this way all of the liquid will bethoroughly mixed and uniformly brought into contact with the rotarypipes and eads, so that a uniform degree of heat will be imparted to orabstracted from the liquid, and every part of the cream will beuniformly pasteurized or rip encd, or otherwise tempered, as the casemay be.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for treating milk and cream or the like comprising a vatand an agitating and tempering structure rotatably mounted therein. saidstructure consistingof a hollow centre device and a plurality ofindependent pipes fixed at their opposite ends to and communicating withsaid cenless than a full turn so as to extend in a direction generallylongitudinal of thepmachine. i

2. An apparatus for tre tingmilk and cream or the like comprisiri a vatand an agitating and tempering stuucture rotatably mounted therein, saidstructhre comprising a hollow tempering fluid s'upply head and aplurality of independent ipes communicating at one end with and ed fromsaid supply head, said pipes being spirally twisted but extending in ageneral longitudinal direction from end to end of the structure.

3. An apparatus for treating milk and cream or the like comprising a vatand an agitatin and tempering structure rotatably mounte therein, saidstructure comprising a spirally twisted pipe and a longitudinal rib onsaid pipe disposed sidewise to the path of movement thereof, and meansfor supplying a tempering fluid to said pipe.

4. An apparatus for treating r. ilk and cream or the like, comprising avat and an agitating and tempering structure rotatably mounted therein,said structure comprising a spirally twisted pipe arranged to conducttempering fluids, and a rib carried by and running longitudinally ofsaid pipe, said rib having a plurality of openings therethrough to mixand agitate the liquid.

An apparatus for treating milk and cream or the like, comprising a vatand an imitating and tempering structure rotatably i mounted therein,said structure comprising a central hollow shaft, a pair of distr butingtral device, said pipes being spirally twisted heads fixed to andcommunicating with said In testiinony whereof I aifix my signature shaftat opposite ends of the vat, a plurality in presence of two witnesses.of independent spirally twisted pipes all 7 communicating at oppositeends with said THEODORE XALERIUS heads, and spiral agitating ribscarried by Witnesses: one 01 more of said pipes and running lon- IRVINGR. HIPPENMEYER,

gitudinally thereof L. A. FORSY'IH.

